


Not the Plan

by love_in_the_stars



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Also starring cute!Will, Alternate Season One, And Sick!Will, M/M, Prompt Fic, Reluctantly Smitten!Hannibal, features shy!Will
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-15
Updated: 2014-03-15
Packaged: 2018-01-15 18:48:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1315420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_in_the_stars/pseuds/love_in_the_stars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for a prompt asking for Hannibal to be unable to harm Will because he's too cute.</p>
<p>"Every genius has one weakness in common: their own hubris. Hannibal's simply took an...unexpected form. For his hubris lay in thinking he could so totally control William Graham and be untouched by him in return.<br/>By the time he realizes this mistake it is already too late."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not the Plan

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the following prompt on Hannibal Kink:  
> "Hannibal does his best to gain Will's trust to manipulate him further and easily kill/frame him if he needs to.  
> Turns out that when Will feels comfortable with someone he acts ten times cuter and is full of smiles and politeness. He brings Hannibal gifs -fresh fish, lures, books etc- and generally behaves like a happy -if shy- puppy.  
> Hannibal can't bring himself to hurt him and kind of just bask in this unexpected cuteness.
> 
> bonus: Will looking all serious at a crime scene then smiling suddenly at the sight of Hannibal, waving, etc  
> Will falling asleep when Hannibal is in the room because he feels safe enough with him  
> Hannibal quietly sulking because Will is exploiting a weakness he didn't even know he had"  
> link: http://hannibalkink.dreamwidth.org/3166.html?thread=6047326#cmt6047326
> 
> I did my best with the fill!

Hannibal is a genius, let there be no doubt about that. He continually ran metaphorical circles around the best minds of the FBI and he took a rightful amount of pride from it. He went from being one of the best surgeons to being one of the best psychiatrists in the business, no small feat. However, every genius has one weakness in common: their own hubris. Hannibal's simply took an...unexpected form. For his hubris lay in thinking he could so totally control William Graham and be untouched by him in return.

By the time he realizes this mistake it is already too late.

 

_One_

\-------

Through careful manipulation of time, place and circumstance, Hannibal has finally gotten through to Will Graham.

He takes in the more relaxed then usual slump of Will's shoulders from the chair across from him and steeples his fingers in his lap. "You seem a little calmer today, Will."

Will's face is tilted down, eyes hidden, as usual but at Hannibal's prompting he lifts his head a bit, just enough to move his gaze from his own feet to Hannibal's. "I feel it, a little. Being here, um, helps."

"I'm glad to hear that. I want this room to be someplace safe for you."

After a moment's pause, Will takes a breath and lets it out quickly, looking up as he does and not quite meeting Hannibal's eyes but comes closer then he has yet. Then Will smiles. Not one of those nervous smiles that is more a movement of his mouth then anything genuine but an actual emotional smile. One that causes a hint of white teeth to show and Hannibal is struck so dumb by its appearance that he almost misses what Will says.

"I don't think that its the room that makes me feel safer, Doctor Lector."

“It would honor me for you to call me Hannibal then, Will.” It pops out before he can stop it and Hannibal is appalled at himself. To cover he says, “It would seem we are proudly passed honorifics.”

With that same distracting smile curving his lips, Will nods and Hannibal quickly turns the conversation back to the interesting scenes in Will’s mind.

 

_Two_

\------

A month after the incident with the smile that caused Hannibal to make a verbal blunder, Will shows up for another ‘conversation’ with an airtight plastic container with something wrapped securely with brown parchment paper inside. Curiosity is something of a weakness in Hannibal that is shared in most psychiatrists so he feels no reason not to question what it is. He has his own theories, of course but not one of them is Will shyly handing the container to Hannibal before quickly sitting in his chair.

“I, uh, went fishing this morning. Caught more than I could eat for myself so I figured you could make something from them. It probably can’t get much better than fresh fish instead of market, right? If you wanted to, I mean. If you don’t want them, that’s okay too, I just thought…”

“Peace, Will. I appreciate your offer, it is very kind of you. I’m sure I’ve got just the recipe for what you’ve brought me.” Hannibal says soothingly, the container feeling heavy in his hands in a way that has nothing to do with its weight. He set the container on the clear corner of his desk and went to take his place across from Will. “Thank you very much for thinking of me. In return for providing the catch you should join me for dinner tonight.” He keeps his words casually earnest and observes how the other has yet to look at him, curly head tilted downward.

At that, Will looks up enough for Hannibal to view his face. “Oh, thank you but I couldn’t possibly…”

“I insist, Will. If you’re going to provide for me at least let me cook for you in return.” To his amazement, Will began to color beneath his scruff.

“Um, okay. That would be nice.” Will says finally, sounding abashed but undeniably pleased and when Hannibal leans forward, the motion catching Will’s attention and drawing his head up more, Hannibal is stuck again by the smile on the profiler’s face. It’s a lot like the other one but even bigger and it hits Hannibal somewhere in his chest like indigestion.

“Very good.” Hannibal says after clearing his throat subtly. “Now, tell me about what Jack has been up to.”

 

_Three_

\-------

A week after the surprisingly comfortable dinner at Hannibal’s, he opens his office door to a Will that is quite obviously happy to see him. He gives that same effecting smile as before the moment Hannibal welcomes him in. He’s even somewhat chirpy as he wishes Hannibal a good afternoon.

“Having a good day, Will?”

Will doesn’t settle immediately in the usual chair, instead ambling around the office and showing curiosity that is, for once, not absent minded at the things decorating the space. “I don’t really have good days but it’s not a bad one. Jack hasn’t had anything for me these last couple days but I’m sure that won’t last long.”

“So, enjoying the break from murder while you can.” Hannibal won’t sit until Will does so instead he leans against his desk and watches the other’s movements.

“Well, as much as I can, yes.”

“And how have you been sleeping?”

“Not any worse than usual.”

Hannibal makes a considering noise at that which grabs Will’s attention and the profiler begins to drift back toward him. “Is it the dreams keeping you awake or a lacking sense of safety?”

Will only shrugs and Hannibal gestures toward the chair. “Well, let’s try something then.”

“Like what?”

Grinning gently, Hannibal inclines his head toward Will. “Try taking a nap.”

“What? Here?” Will says, surprised.

“You said once that I made you feel safer, Will. Let us see if feeling safer will help you sleep.”

Looking dubious but not untrusting, Will slowly went to the chair and settled himself into a comfortable position that left him practically curled up in it. Hannibal closed his curtains and turned off half his lights, aware of Will’s eyes following him.

“Close your eyes, Will. I’ll be right here at the desk, just relax and breathe.” When he sits at the desk and looks, Will’s eyes are closed and Hannibal says no more while listening to him breathe. Eventually, as he works through his papers, he recognizes when the pattern of breath shifts and slows to that of sleep. Then, he puts his pen down and looks again.

Will is indeed asleep, curled up in the chair like one of his dogs, head on the armrest and mouth slightly open to breathe. In the dim light, the curls of Will’s hair look soft and inviting to touch and Hannibal has to swallow hard through the thing that has taken up residence in his throat at the sight. There are thoughts in Hannibal’s mind right now that he does not know what to do with.

He stares for a few more minutes before forcing himself to look away, back down to his papers. It does not matter, he is in control and Will certainly suspects him of nothing. It will stay that way, regardless of the unusual feelings that crop up whenever the other man is being...cute.

It doesn’t mean anything.

 

_Four_

\-----

Hannibal gets the call from Jack early enough in the afternoon that he can cancel one of his appointments and head to the crime scene to meet up with Will and the forensics team. He enjoys these chances to get out and actively watch both Will and the rest of the team at work. He likes getting the extra insight into how forensics handles things, it helps him further understand what not to do during his own extracurricular activity. And he cannot deny the thrill he gets watching Will empathize on sight rather than after the fact.

He has never before found something so fascinating as Will’s ability, whether it be the aftereffects or that beautiful mind to mind connection. He cannot wait to see how Will performs today.

Hannibal parks outside the circle of police cars and excuses himself through the crowd of nosy onlookers held back by police tape and officers. His approach is met with a nod of recognition and a lifting of the tape for him to duck under and a second officer is flagged down to lead him to Will. He can see the group from where he is, Jack’s head standing out from Will’s curly hair and Katz straight black hair as the only ones standing up.

Once they are close enough, the officer announces him and they all turn to look but its Will’s expression that nearly causes Hannibal to fall over himself. Clearly no one told Will he was coming because the profiler looks surprised but happy about it. Will looks happier than Hannibal thinks he’s seen the other yet.

With a smile even bigger and brighter than all the others before, Will looks over to him and waves. He waves at Hannibal with one hand, the other holding a pair of gloves but Hannibal doesn’t even notice that because all he can see is Will, curly haired, scruffy faced Will, waving at him with a pleased smile. “Hannibal! I didn’t know you were coming.”

Jack is looking between them with a raised brow but mostly staring at Will suspiciously, surprised at the welcoming. “I called him, figured he could help you out.”

Will just nods amiably, “Oh, I’m sure.”

Hannibal pulls himself together enough to give them all a smile that feels small and weak in comparison to the one Will had just thrown at him. “Afternoon.” That’s all he can get out at the moment but then Jack saves him by launching right into explaining the situation and prompting Will to turn away toward the victim.

They stay for an hour going over the scene and watching Will and speculating but after when Hannibal is driving back home and tries to think about that hour he finds he can’t really remember much but Will’s smiling face, the russet highlights of his hair in the sun and some bare details of what might have happened.

Oh dear.

 

_Five_

\------

Will is getting sicker, the scent of encephalitis growing stronger by the week. Today he looks too pale and is practically swaying on his feet but although it had to have been a battle just to get out of bed, here he is at Hannibal’s just to make their weekly conversation. Will has been smiling or at least attempting but even those are pale, weak imitations of themselves.

This was all part of the plan but it’s bothering Hannibal now. Bothering him a lot.

He looks at Will, slouched in the chair like he doesn’t even have the strength to sit up straight and finds him staring off into the middle distance, mind practically blank with the heat of fever. This was not at all what he had been expecting. He’s grown to hate the tangy scent of feverish sweat and Will’s increasingly listless expressions. The profiler’s eyes seem to be a perpetually hazed blue, dulled except when caught in violent hallucination that isn’t even remembered afterward.

No, no this is not going the way he wants at all. He misses those stupid, happy smiles and bright eyes that seem to light up just that little bit more when spotting Hannibal. He trained Will to be like that, wanted it but didn’t consider the consequences of constant exposure to that kind of regard. He is addicted to the kind of feelings Will inspired in him and now that he can’t have them he wants them back.

The Will in front of him now is deathly sick and Hannibal wants the adorable Will back. The one that gave him sincere smiles, fished for him, trusted him and was always happy to see him.

God. Damn. It.

“Come on, Will. We’re getting you to a doctor.”

\-----


End file.
